Program Objectives

The California Energy Design Assistance (CEDA) program supports California’s ambitious decarbonization and clean energy goals by helping new construction projects incorporate energy-efficient design strategies, electrification, and high-performance technologies.

Our mission is to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, all-electric built environment through innovation, technical support, and industry-wide education.

Advance the market to achieve the aggressive California decarbonization goals

California has set ambitious goals for decarbonization to combat climate change and transition to a sustainable future. At the forefront of these efforts is the state’s commitment to achieving 100% clean energy by 2045. CEDA supports this mission by helping building owners and design teams implement low-carbon, energy-efficient solutions. Through performance modeling, project support, and data sharing, CEDA informs future energy codes and drives long-term market transformation. The program also raises awareness through education and outreach, building demand for sustainable design.

Promote electrification and all-electric buildings

CEDA supports the transition away from fossil fuels by providing design teams with custom decarbonization analyses and electrification strategies. These recommendations reflect current codes, utility goals, and emerging technologies that improve building performance. As adoption grows, the program helps expand market readiness by encouraging manufacturers, contractors, and engineers to meet demand for all-electric solutions.

Reduce long term energy costs and emissions

Through energy modeling and scenario analysis, CEDA helps you evaluate strategies that can lower operational energy costs and reduce carbon emissions over your building’s lifetime. Our experts identify the most cost-effective and impactful measures based on your project’s design and goals. These analyses make the business case for electrification and high-performance design, helping to increase adoption across the market by demonstrating long-term savings and emissions reductions. These decisions not only reduce operational costs but also deliver long-term benefits to California’s energy system.

Drive adoption of high-performance measures

CEDA encourages design teams to go beyond minimum code requirements by integrating high-performance technologies and systems. These measures boost building efficiency, improve occupant comfort, and align with long-term sustainability goals. Broader adoption of these technologies builds market familiarity, driving up supply availability and design expertise among contractors and engineers. CEDA actively shares insights from these projects to support the evolution of California’s Codes and Standards, ensuring that future regulations reflect high-performance design opportunities. View the comprehensive list of high-performance measures here.

Make buildings true grid resources

Modern, energy-efficient buildings can play an important role in balancing California’s electric grid, especially during periods of peak demand. CEDA helps teams explore design strategies that support grid stability, such as demand flexibility, thermal storage, and load reduction. These strategies position buildings as active participants in energy innovation and system optimization, reinforcing CEDA’s role in advancing grid-interactive building design.

Educate the market

CEDA provides tools and resources to build industry capacity and accelerate decarbonization. Offerings include case studies, webinars, technical guides, and updates on emerging technologies. These resources help design teams and developers stay ahead of the curve, scale adoption of best practices, and support alignment with future energy standards. In doing so, CEDA builds long-term partnerships with designers, contractors, manufacturers, and community organizations, helping to align the broader ecosystem around clean construction goals. Explore these resources in our Knowledge Center here.